The sickly, iron-fisted beauty in Harry Potter

Despite saying that, Dolly decided to continue keeping an eye on the second-floor washroom to prevent anyone from opening the entrance to the secret room.

As for more, it is certainly possible to leave it to Dumbledore.

She's been working tirelessly for Hogwarts' safety for two months, and she really deserves a break.

"By the way, starting today, everyone will stop searching for the diary."

Dolly concluded, "It's time to enjoy school life. After all, the Quidditch tournament is about to begin, and Luna's first year is still the most precious time of her life."

Hermione chimed in at this point, saying, "And what about you? If you don't focus on your studies, your grades might drop this year."

“If you fail, you’ll have to repeat the year, Miss Dolly Dursley!”

Dolly, however, didn't think much of it; she couldn't possibly fail, no matter how badly she fared.

But Hermione seemed to have found Dolly's weakness, asking Dolly to study hard with her from then on.

Dolly had no choice but to accept it, since studying was still somewhat useful for her.

She couldn't put all her spell level upgrades into attribute points.

The group then chose to go back to their respective dormitories to sleep, and Dolly also managed to get a good night's sleep, which was a rare treat.

Anyway, Dumbledore will definitely have a hard time sleeping tonight. It won't be too late for Dolly to come later and take turns keeping watch with Spot and the other house-elves.

The next day was just another normal day.

Dolly waited for Dumbledore's letter, but it never arrived by dinner time.

Dolly had originally planned to go to Dumbledore to ask about the situation, but Dumbledore eventually sent a letter.

Dolly opened it and saw a brief description of Dumbledore's actions throughout the day.

First of all, just as Dolly had predicted, Dumbledore didn't sleep a wink last night.

He spent the entire night alone in the bathroom trying to open the passage to the secret room, but all his attempts failed.

Although Dumbledore was a very powerful wizard, the Chamber of Secrets was ultimately set up by Slytherin.

It's not impossible for Dumbledore to force it open with magic, but the result would definitely be an earthquake, and Dumbledore is still unable to make up his mind about it for the time being.

The next day, Dumbledore found Lockhart and tried to get information about the diary.

Then Dumbledore confidently told Dolly that he was certain Lockhart knew nothing about it.

After seeing the diary, Lockhart was certain that it was just a gift from a fanatic fan and casually tossed it into a cabinet for safekeeping.

Lockhart experienced many similar situations; he was too busy replying to fans' messages every day to have time to study an ordinary diary.

Finally, Dumbledore concluded that a student, at least an upperclassman, had taken Lockhart's diary a while ago.

Dumbledore assured her that he would have the professors and house-elves investigate secretly, so Dolly wouldn't have to keep an eye on everything alone anymore.

Seeing all this, Dolly felt much better.

Indeed, compared to her own actions, it was Dumbledore's decision to mobilize everyone at Hogwarts to search for the diary that was the most appropriate and responsible course of action.

Moreover, Dumbledore has, unusually, prioritized the safety of the students above all else, a situation he has not shown last year.

This is what Dolly wanted to see.

Raising Harry is important, but the lives of the other students are equally important.

There are many ways to make Harry a warrior, but if other students accidentally die, they're really dead.

Therefore, Dolly is satisfied with this collaboration.

The reason it's temporary is because Dolly is certain that Dumbledore will find another opportunity to mentor Harry.

However, as long as it doesn't violate Dolly's bottom line, Dolly also agrees to raise Harry.

It's not just because Harry will have to fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters in the future, but also because Harry will probably live in the wizarding world.

The stronger he becomes, the more secure Dolly can live in the Muggle world.

The two sides might be able to cooperate sometime, but that's something to consider more than ten years from now.

So Dolly returned the favor and began teaching Harry how to box.

Of course, Harry's daily practice time is limited.

Because he still prioritized Quidditch, Dolly didn't object.

At least the Quidditch training gave Harry good stamina, and combined with Harry's own reflexes and skills, Dolly only needed to teach Harry techniques.

And so Dolly's second year of school life finally began to get on track.

Halloween arrived amidst Dolly's somewhat anxious anticipation.

Just like Dolly was attacked by a troll on Halloween last year, this year the secret room was opened in the original storyline.

The basilisk, a monster that had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, crawled out and petrified Mrs. Loris, the unfortunate pet cat of Argus Filch, the administrator of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The fact that it happened on Halloween again is hardly a coincidence.

Rather, it's because Hogwarts will be holding a grand banquet on this day, so the chances of being discovered if someone tries to cause trouble today are greatly reduced.

Dolly ate and drank while secretly glancing at the Marauder's Map hidden in her sleeve.

In the end, no one went to open the entrance to the secret room.

This put Dolly completely at ease.

At least she changed the original plot, and the person with the diary is no longer so likely to cause trouble.

It's even possible that the secret of this diary will remain buried until Dolly and the others have to dig it up again in order to find the Horcruxes.

Of course, the latter doesn't need to be rushed; it's enough to accomplish it within a few years.

After Halloween, Dolly felt more relaxed and truly immersed herself in school life.

The scene in the original story where Colin Crevey is petrified did not occur, and before we knew it, it was December.

Dolly didn't realize that Dumbledore had finally intervened until she saw the front page headline of the Daily Prophet saying that the Ministry of Magic had searched Lucius's house.

Although Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic were not on good terms, it wouldn't be too difficult for Dumbledore to influence the Ministry of Magic.

Even if the target is Lucius, a financial backer of a member of the Ministry of Magic, they cannot withstand the influence that Dumbledore wants to exert.

Unfortunately, nothing was found. If Lucius's secrets were so easily caught, he wouldn't have achieved his current status and position.

Dolly glanced at it and skipped over it.

The struggles behind the scenes are neither something she can or wants to participate in right now.

All she had to do was prepare for the upcoming Christmas... oh no, before that, she needed to attend an event.

Lockhart has revived the Duel Club.

Clearly, Lockhart's purpose in setting up this dueling club was to further enhance his own fame, and it had nothing to do with whether or not there was a basilisk or a secret room.

Lockhart probably felt he had hit a bottleneck in his teaching career and needed some underhanded tactics to regain his students' respect.

He applied to Dumbledore, who readily agreed.

Dolly had no idea why Dumbledore would agree.

Maybe it was just for fun, or maybe they were doing everything they could to raise Harry.

Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye, and it's now mid-December.

Tonight is the first event of the Duel Club.

The Duel Club activities are organized by grade level, and today it's the second year's turn, so students from all four houses in Dolly's year will be participating.

When Dolly and Hermione arrived at the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the tables had already been cleared to the side of the wall, and a huge arena had been set up in the middle of the hall.

The students excitedly surrounded the ring, waiting for Lockhart, the star of the day, to make his appearance.

Lockhart's appearance did not disappoint them.

He wore the most magnificent robes, with a jeweled brooch hanging from his chest, and even a cloak that shimmered with iridescent colors, making him look more like a guest on an awards ceremony stage than a professor teaching others.

Or to use Hermione's words.

"He looks just like a frilly rooster. Does he really think he's handsome?"

165 Ironclad Curse

Dolly almost burst out laughing when she heard this.

For no other reason than that Hermione's attitude towards Lockhart has now turned into pure disgust.

It wasn't just because she saw Lockhart clearly now, but also because she felt ashamed of her own ignorant behavior during her teenage years.

It wasn't just Hermione; many second-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, who were among the first to witness Lockhart's grotesque state, were utterly disgusted by his current appearance.

It was only because neither Hufflepuff nor Ravenclaw were the most troublesome groups in the House that Lockhart was able to keep his underwear.

Lockhart clearly knew this, but he couldn't resist showing off.

After all, showing off is his most crucial weapon for making a living and maintaining his reputation, especially now that it is an opportunity for him to rebuild his image.

So he waved his hand in a self-satisfied manner and said, "Come around, come around! Can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me? Great!"

"That's right. Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to start this little dueling club to train you all thoroughly in case you need to defend yourselves one day, using the methods I have used countless times."

"For more details on this topic, please refer to my published works."

Upon hearing this, Dolly took Hermione's hand, poked her palm, and asked softly, "Is this passage in his book? Shouldn't you have read the whole thing?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Dolly, then covered her face in embarrassment.

She did know, but now she thinks it was all a joke.

Lockhart is still boasting.

"Let me introduce my assistant. You can guess who he is."

After he finished speaking, Lockhart clapped loudly, and the students clapped along with him. Then a person walked out of the darkness, and the applause stopped a second later.

However, applause and cheers from Slytherin soon filled the entire hall.

“Yes, Professor Snape. He told me that he himself knew a little about dueling, and he generously agreed to help me give a small demonstration before class.”

"I'm telling you, I don't want to make you little guys worry - after I'm done demonstrating to him, I'll return your Potions teacher to you intact, so don't be afraid!"